KUALA LUMPUR: The story below is self-explainatory. While the Defence Minister is optimistic that the first Malaysian A400M will be delivered in 2015 and the price will remained around RM600 million plus, the Airbus rep at Lima was less specific. He said ever

A400M completes first test flight
Friday, December 11, 2009

The much-delayed Airbus A400M military airlifter has completed its first three-hour test flight from Seville.

A six-man crew conducted the flight, led by Airbus’ chief military test pilot Ed Strongman.

He was supported by experimental test pilot Ignacio Lombo, senior flight test engineers Jean-Philippe Cottet, Eric Isorce and Didier Ronceray, and test flight engineer Gerard Leskerpit.

Between them the multinational crew has logged more than 31,000 flight hours.

The A400M took off loaded with flight-test instrumentation to monitor its performance and systems following weeks of on-the-ground testing.

The Airbus Military test team received the A400M on 12 November. Tests began with a successful taxi on 23 November building up to high-speed rejected takeoffs before the official first flight on December 11

Over the next three years the A400M will undergo 3,700 hours of flight tests from Seville and Toulouse, as well as in specialised locations all around the world.

International partners are currently renegotiating the purchase of the aircraft, which has been subject to delays and cost overruns. The South African government cancelled its order for eight A400Ms in November.

Take-off was broadcast live from A400M.com.

–Malaysian Defence

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